Port of Oakland records drop in February box volumes

The Port of Oakland handled less container volumes in February compared to a year earlier due to inclement weather and the Lunar New Year, which began Jan. 28 this year.    The Port of Oakland handed 174,906 TEUs of empty and loaded containers in February, a 7 percent year-over-year decline.
   Loaded exports in February totaled 72,585 TEUs, down 1.2 percent year-over-year, as inclement weather in the U.S. interior curtailed shipments of Asia-bound exports through Oakland, the port said.   
   Loaded imports in February reached 64,110 TEUs, a 9.3 percent year-over-year decline in the wake of Lunar New Year, which began Jan. 28 this year. “U.S. importers stock up before Asian factories shut down for the holidays,” the port said. “Shipments typically moderate in the post-holiday period.”
   Meanwhile, about 313 nautical miles south (360 miles), the Port of Long Beach also experienced a decline in container volumes in February. During the month, the port handled 498,311 TEUs, an 11.2 percent decline from February 2016.
   Overall, the Port of Oakland is called by 29 liner services, all of which deploy fully-cellular containerships, according to ocean carrier schedule and capacity database BlueWater Reporting’s Port Dashboard tool.